Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) was a key figure in the postwar transformation of ceramics from functional craft to fine art. As a Japanese American artist born and raised in Hawai‘i, she drew inspiration from Abstract Expressionism, East Asian philosophy and tradition, and Hawai‘i’s culture, while remaining independent of any single tradition or movement. Takaezu developed a unique approach towards “closed forms,” redefining ceramics’ sculptural possibilities as well as the medium’s expressive potential within the context of abstract art. Throughout her decades-long practice, she cultivated a deep sensitivity to materials and technique while also embracing chance. For instance, when a piece of clay fell into one of her vessels, producing rattling sounds, she turned this accident into one of her creative signatures, extending her works into explorations of sonority and inner space.

Marking Takaezu’s first solo exhibition in China, this presentation surveys nearly five decades of her artistic practice. Beginning with functional vessels and early formal experiments with teapot openings and vent holes, her work gradually evolved into “closed forms” with very small openings. These rounded, nonfunctional volumes became three-dimensional surfaces for her painterly use of glaze and color, giving rise to major series such as “Moons” and “Trees.” In her later practice, these forms expanded into large-scale ceramic installations approaching human scale. Varied yet interconnected, these forms reflect the artist’s engagement with nature, environment, cosmology, and mythology, marking the shift of ceramics from functional objects to a medium of pure artistic expression. In addition to ceramic works, the exhibition will also present Takaezu’s practice in textiles and painting, highlighting the breadth of her cross-media exploration. This exhibition is realized with the assistance of the Toshiko Takaezu Foundation and curated by UCCA Assistant Curator Zou Jiashu.

About the Artist

Toshiko Takaezu

Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011) was born in Pepeekeo, Hawai‘i, and was one of the most influential ceramic artists of the twentieth century. Her works are represented in numerous major museum collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the de Young / Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Her recent major solo exhibitions include “Toshiko Takaezu: Dialogues in Clay” (Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey, 2025–2026); “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within” (The Noguchi Museum, New York, 2024; Cranbrook Art Museum, Michigan, 2024–2025; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, 2025; Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2025; Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawai‘i, 2026); and “Toshiko Takaezu: Shaping Abstraction” (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, 2024).

Earlier significant solo exhibitions include “The Poetry of Clay: The Art of Toshiko Takaezu” (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, 2004); “Toshiko Takaezu: Retrospective” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, 1995); “Toshiko Takaezu: 1980–1992” (The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA, 1993); and “The Pottery of Toshiko Takaezu” (Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, USA, 1961–1962).

She also participated in important group exhibitions including “The Milk of Dreams,” the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice, 2022); “Women Take the Floor” (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA, 2021); “A Chronicle of Modern Crafts” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, 2021); “A Century of Design, Part III: 1950–1975” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA, 2000); “American Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical” (American Craft Museum, New York, USA, 1986–1988); and “Objects:USA” (Smithsonian American Art museum, Washington,D.C., 1969; Museum of Arts and Design, New York, 1972).